


Payback is Pop

by BarPurple



Series: BarPurple's House of Horror 2016 [14]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Payback, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-29 22:19:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8507614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarPurple/pseuds/BarPurple
Summary: Rumple had been expecting Regina to do something after the fun he had with that urban legend.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [beastlycheese](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beastlycheese/gifts).



> Follow up to Bloody Mirror.

Belle leapt from the couch, her wineglass flying from her hand and shattering against the wall behind her, as Rumple screamed and grabbed his head. He collapsed to the floor, his fingers knotted in his hair, cursing so crudely that the curious part of Belle’s mind took notes to ask him about later. The practical and caring part of her dropped to her knees and reached out for him.

“Rumple! What’s wrong?”

His jaw was clenched so tight it took him a moment to speak.

“A hundred people have just shouted my name.”

Belle rubbed a soothing hand across his back while he tried to compose himself. The traditional summons of calling his name didn’t happen often these days, most people who wanted him would just storm into the pawnshop, or occasionally their house, (these days they at least remembered to knock first, the stories of Charming seeing more than he ever wanted to had spread), but Rumple still heard when someone spoke his name with a deal on their mind.

“Where are they?”

“The Rabbit Hole.”

She helped him to his feet and wrapped her arm around his.

“Come on, this must be important.”

Even through the pain the summons had caused him Rumple managed to give her a soft smile and wonder how this woman kept amazing him. In a swirl of red gold smoke they left their home and reappeared Storybrooke’s one and only dive bar.

Belle hadn’t been here since her brief stint as Lacey, and a fast glance round told her that it hadn’t improved much, the bar was still dingy and crowded, and she didn’t want to dwell to closely on why the floor was sticky under her heels. Rumple listened to the crowd singing for a moment then snarled; “You are kidding me!”

He carefully pulled his arm from her grasp before saying gently, “Give me a moment sweetheart.”

The crowd parted before him as he strolled towards the jukebox looking every inch the Dark One even without the leather and dragon hide. Belle caught some of the lyrics that the crowd were enthusiastically singing along to; “Dare you call his name…”

As with many things in Storybrooke the jukebox in the Rabbit Hole was a rather dated item; a large glass and chrome affair that still played six inch vinyl singles. Rumple reached it and shoved an oblivious patron to one side with a twitch of magic. Belle winced as her True Love then punched his bare fist through the glass front and pulled the disc from the sparking machine. The bar fell into stunned silence. Rumple turned slowly on his heel and waited until every eye was on him before he melted the record in his hand with a fireball. Black vinyl dripped from his hand as his eyes roamed over the crowd.

“Who put that song on?”

Belle suppressed the little shivered that ran down her spine; she shouldn’t be aroused by Rumple’s dark side, but there had always been something about his voice that did things to her and it had been so long since he’d sound quite so much like his old impish self. The nervous swallow from the barman was audible in the heavy silence, Belle almost giggled as the man raised his hand and haltingly said; “It’s on random.”

For a very long drawn out moment everyone held their breath, everyone except Belle who was far too used to Rumple’s theatrics to really worry about what would happen next. Finally Rumple gave a curt nod and said; “Anyone so much as hums that song again and there will be consequences.”

Amid the rapid nodding and muttered agreement of the patrons Rumple waved a hand and repaired the jukebox. He was back at Belle’s side in seconds and they were home again before she had time to blink.

“So what was that all about?”

Rumple conjured up a fresh glass of wine for her and pulled her onto the couch beside him.

“Regina once inspired a one hit wonder pop song in retaliation for a prank. I thought I’d destroyed every copy, but apparently not.”

Belle thought for a moment.

“Would this be the Bloody Mary prank you pulled back when I was your maid?”

Rumple’s eyes twinkled with pride that she’d recalled such a little detail of their time together in the Dark Castle.

“That’s the one.”

“Can I hear the song?”

He should have known that was coming, with a roll of his eyes Rumple conjured the offending single. Belle took it from his hand, her eyebrow rose at the wild make-up and hair of the band pictured on the front, and she snorted at the name.

“Beastly Cheese? Can’t say I’ve heard of them.”

“I did say one hit wonder, sweetheart.”

Belle nodded with a grin as she read the lyrics to the chorus emblazoned on the back cover.

_Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, dare you call his name?_  
Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, come on play this game!  
Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, all I need is fame! 

She couldn’t hold back her giggles any more.

“Oh Rumple, I see why you hate this song so much.”

The record vanished from her hand in a puff of smoke. She smothered her giggles and snuggled into Rumple’s side.

“I’ll admit for Regina that was quite the creative payback. Does she still get Bloody Mary mirror calls?”

Rumple chuckled, “Occasionally.”

Belle couldn’t shake the feeling that Regina’s mirror might be a little busier than usual in the coming months.

**Author's Note:**

> Lyrics written by Beastlycheese who inspired this bit of silliness with a comment on Bloody Mirror (part nine of House of Horror)


End file.
